You guys, I'm currently working at a university, and that means:
1) About 85-90% of my work conversations include some permutation of the phrase: "But did you read the paper/study that showed (whatever)?"
Usually this is followed by, "No," which is then followed by "I'll send it to you/print it for you."
2) Everyone is very, very impressed if you can quote the authors when you're quoting a study to prove a point. At this point, I'm just excited if I can remember the study.
3) Stuuuuuuudents! Vet students are awesome. But seriously, you guys:
- Someone may care if you appear to be fire-stormingly fascinated with (whatever rotation you're on), but that person is not me. I know that those of you who are gonna be cow vets are probably about as interested in the intimate details of the canine cutaneous mast cell tumor prognostic panel as I am in the intimate details of synching herd ovulation: not much. You don't have to fake it.
- Don't let anyone make you feel small if you don't know the answer to a question. There is so much to know that you cannot possibly know it all. BUT it totally behooves you to look that shit up and recon with the person who was quizzing you when you DO know the answer.
- Sleep is really, really important. Take advantage of all opportunities to sleep. Sleeping is magical.
4) Ultrasounds take at least 45 minutes, sometimes over an hour. Also, everyone looks at you like it's your fault when the sedation wears off or the patient loses patience.
5) Appointments regularly take 6+ hours. I am not even kidding. If you're bringing your pet to a university for a consult, plan for it to be a day's event.
6) The anesthesia department is absolutely not fucking around. Neither is the ICU staff.
7) Some sort of conference, thesis defense, or guest lecture is always happening. I get e-mails about all of them. Sometimes there is food involved.
8) There are six or seven different on-call schedules for various situations that may happen in the night or over a weekend. They are all posted in different places and are varying degrees of accurate.
9) A parade of work-study students and residents wander by the oncology department at regular intervals. They ask for blood and/or urine samples from particular patients who have diseases that are relevant to their research.
10) There is so much hand sanitizer.